City Australia and Oceania
Honiara
Honiara is a city by the sea on a big green island called Guadalcanal. It is warm there all year!
Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands, in the southwest Pacific Ocean. It lies on the north coast of Guadalcanal, the country's largest island, where the Matanikau River meets the sea. The 2019 census counted 130,176 people in the city.
Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands on the north coast of Guadalcanal at the mouth of the Matanikau River (Universalis), is a port and communications center and, Universalis says, the only town of any size in the country. The 2019 census counted 130,176 people in Honiara City and 169,721 in the wider urban area (City Population, from the National Statistics Office).
Photo: Kahunapule Michael Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Honiara
Honiara is a city on the island of Guadalcanal, in the Pacific Ocean.
It is by the sea, where a river flows out.
Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands, a country of many islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Universalis says it lies on the north coast of Guadalcanal, the largest island, at the mouth of the Matanikau River, and calls it the only town of any size in the country.
The 2019 census counted 130,176 people in Honiara City, and 169,721 in the wider urban area around it.
Universalis (Honiara): capital of the Solomon Islands, an archipelago of the southwest Pacific; at the mouth of the Matanikau River on the north coast of Guadalcanal; a port and communications center; population estimated at 60,000 in 2005. Universalis (Solomon Islands): Guadalcanal (5,302 km2) is the largest island; Honiara, in the northwest of Guadalcanal, is the only town of any size. Larousse: 67,610 inhabitants (2011 estimate). City Population (Solomon Islands National Statistics Office), Honiara City: 30,413 (1986), 49,107 (1999), 73,910 (2009), 130,176 (24 November 2019); major urban area 169,721 (2019).
- Country
- Solomon Islands; on the north coast of Guadalcanal (Universalis)
- People in Honiara City (census 2019)
- 130,176
- People in the wider urban area (census 2019)
- 169,721
- River
- at the mouth of the Matanikau River (Universalis)
A market, a museum and a river
Look at the red, white and blue buildings among the big green trees, and the sea behind!
Far away, across the sea, there are hazy mountains.
The photographer called this photo a 'hillside view' of Honiara. It shows red, white and blue buildings and roofs among big green trees, with the sea behind and hazy mountains far away across it.
On Wikidata, the Solomon Islands National Museum is about half a kilometer and Honiara Central Market about 0.6 kilometers east-northeast of the city's point. Wikidata's point for the Matanikau River, at whose mouth Universalis places the city, is about 1.9 kilometers east.
Commons: 'Hillside view' (Flickr title 'Honiara'), Kahunapule Michael Johnson, CC BY-SA 2.0, FlickreviewR passed; Flickr date 25 January 2017; categories 'Views of Honiara', 'Roofs in the Solomon Islands'. Wikidata, from Honiara's point (Q40921): Solomon Islands National Museum (Q106512453) 0.52 km ENE; Honiara Central Market (Q28224122) 0.63 km ENE; Matanikau River (Q349382) point 1.87 km E; Lawson Tama Stadium (Q333549) 2.38 km E. Universalis: Point Cruz, with a narrow coastal plain stretching beyond it.
- Honiara Central Market
- about 0.6 km east-northeast of Honiara's point (Wikidata)
- Solomon Islands National Museum
- about 0.5 km east-northeast of Honiara's point (Wikidata)
- Matanikau River
- Honiara lies at its mouth (Universalis)
A young city that grew fast
Honiara is a young city. It began in the 1940s.
Since then it has grown and grown!
Universalis says Honiara did not exist before the Second World War. In 1952 it became the capital of the Solomon Islands, in place of Tulagi. In the 1960s a large development program began in the new capital, and its first multi-story buildings went up in the 1980s.
The city has grown fast. The census counted 30,413 people in Honiara City in 1986, 73,910 in 2009 and 130,176 in 2019.
Universalis: the capital did not exist before the Second World War and developed during it; it officially became the capital of the Solomon Islands in 1952, in place of Tulagi; in the 1960s the government, with private-sector support, launched a large development program in the new capital; the first multi-story buildings (immeubles) were built in the 1980s. City Population (census): Honiara City 30,413 (23 November 1986), 49,107 (21 November 1999), 73,910 (23 November 2009; adjusted by the statistics office for undercounting, unadjusted 64,609), 130,176 (24 November 2019).
- Before the 1940s
- there was no town here before the Second World War (Universalis)
- Capital of the Solomon Islands
- since 1952, taking over from Tulagi (Universalis)
- People in Honiara City
- 30,413 (1986); 73,910 (2009); 130,176 (2019) (census, City Population)
A port, an airport and the sea between islands
Ships come to Honiara's port, and planes land at the airport.
The sea is all around the islands.
Universalis calls Honiara a port and a center of communications, and says an international airport about 15 kilometers away serves the city. On Wikidata, Honiara International Airport is about 11.5 kilometers east of the city's point.
The Solomon Islands are spread over the sea. Universalis says the main islands stand in two lines, with an inner sea 60 to 120 kilometers wide between them.
Universalis (Honiara): port and communications center; an international airport about fifteen kilometers away serves the capital. Wikidata: Honiara International Airport (Q859876) 11.51 km E of the city point. Universalis (Solomon Islands): the heart of the archipelago is a double line of large islands around an inner sea 60-120 km wide and sometimes more than 1,500 m deep; the northern line holds Choiseul, Santa Isabel and Malaita, the southern line Guadalcanal and Makira, among others; the Florida islands lie in the inner sea.
- Port
- Honiara is a port and a center of communications (Universalis)
- International airport
- about 15 km away (Universalis); 11.5 km east of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Inner sea
- 60 to 120 km wide, between two lines of large islands (Universalis)
Warm every month
Honiara is warm every month of the year.
It rains a lot, and big storms can come.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for Honiara, for 1991 to 2020, show a monthly average temperature between 26.5 °C in July and 27.5 °C in December and January: warm all year, with very little change.
Universalis describes the islands' climate as one of constantly high temperatures, plentiful rain and a strong risk of cyclones. These are ideal conditions, it says, for thick forest.
Japan Meteorological Agency, world normals (period 1991-2020 as stated on the normals index), Honiara station 91517 (9.42° S, 159.97° E, 55 m): monthly mean temperature 27.5, 27.3, 27.2, 27.3, 27.2, 26.8, 26.5, 26.6, 26.9, 27.1, 27.4, 27.5 °C; no precipitation normals are given. Universalis (Solomon Islands): a sub-equatorial island climate with constantly high temperatures (around 26.5 °C as a yearly average at Honiara), plentiful rain and a strong cyclone risk; ideal conditions for dense forest.
- Average temperature, warmest months (JMA, Honiara, 1991–2020)
- 27.5 °C (January and December)
- Average temperature, coolest month (same table)
- 26.5 °C (July)
- Climate
- always warm, with plentiful rain and a strong risk of cyclones (Universalis)
Gardens, forests and fishing
Forests cover most of the islands.
People grow coconuts, and fishing boats catch tuna in the sea.
Universalis says most people in the Solomon Islands live in the countryside and grow their own food. Coconut and oil-palm plantations and tuna fishing bring in money, but forest products bring in more; forests still cover nearly 90% of the islands.
Universalis says Honiara, a port, mainly exports coconuts, timber and fish, among other goods.
Universalis (Solomon Islands): a mostly rural population living largely from food farming; coconut and oil-palm plantations, tuna fishing and royalties from foreign fishing fleets in the exclusive economic zone bring in less than forest production, with forests covering nearly 90% of the islands. Universalis (Honiara): the city mainly exports coconuts, timber, fish and gold (gold from the Gold Ridge mine in the center of the island; not dated in the article). Wikidata: Honiara Central Market (Q28224122) 0.63 km ENE of the city point.
- Farming
- most people in the countryside grow their own food (Universalis)
- Forests
- still cover nearly 90% of the islands (Universalis)
- Plantations and fishing
- coconut palms, oil palms and tuna fishing (Universalis)
Honiara on the map
Find the Pacific Ocean on the globe. Honiara is on an island just south of the equator.
Honiara lies at about 9.4° south and 160.0° east, on the north coast of Guadalcanal. Universalis says the Solomon Islands lie between 6° and 12° south of the equator, in the southwest Pacific.
Guadalcanal, at 5,302 square kilometers, is the largest island of the country. On Wikidata, the airport is about 11.5 kilometers east of Honiara's point.
Honiara lies at about 9.43° S, 159.95° E (Wikidata point of Honiara, Q40921; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 0.52 km S of it). Universalis: the archipelago lies south of the equator between 6° and 12° S; Guadalcanal (5,302 km2) is the largest island; Honiara is in the northwest of Guadalcanal, on its north coast, at the mouth of the Matanikau. Wikidata: Matanikau River 1.87 km E; Honiara International Airport 11.51 km E.
- Latitude
- about 9.4° south
- Longitude
- about 160.0° east
- Island
- Guadalcanal, 5,302 km2, the largest in the Solomon Islands (Universalis)
Amazing facts
-
Honiara is a young city: it began in the 1940s!
Universalis says there was no town at Honiara before the Second World War. By 2019 the census counted 130,176 people in the city.
Universalis: Honiara did not exist before the Second World War; capital since 1952. Census 2019: Honiara City 130,176.
-
Forests cover almost all of the Solomon Islands!
Universalis says forests still cover nearly 90% of the Solomon Islands.
Universalis (Solomon Islands): forests still cover nearly 90% of the islands, and forest production brings in more than plantations and tuna fishing.
-
In Honiara, the warmest and coolest months are only one degree apart!
In the Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for 1991 to 2020, Honiara's warmest months average 27.5 °C and its coolest, July, 26.5 °C: just one degree apart.
JMA normals 1991–2020, Honiara 91517: monthly mean temperature 26.5 °C (Jul) to 27.5 °C (Dec, Jan), a range of 1.0 °C.
Words to know
- archipelago
- a group of islands
- capital
- the city where a country's government is based
- mouth
- the place where a river flows into the sea
- cyclone
- a huge spinning storm with strong winds and heavy rain
- plantation
- a large farm where one crop, like coconuts, is grown
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
Discovery challenge
-
Honiara is on which island?
On which island, the largest of the Solomon Islands, is Honiara?
Honiara lies at the mouth of the Matanikau River on the north coast of which island?
- Guadalcanal
- Greenland
- Sri Lanka
Show the answer
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal!
Guadalcanal.
Guadalcanal (5,302 km2).
-
Is Honiara warm or cold?
What are monthly average temperatures in Honiara like?
Which describes Honiara's JMA 1991–2020 monthly mean temperatures?
- Warm all year, about 26 to 28 °C
- Freezing in winter
- Hot in summer and snowy in winter
Show the answer
Warm all year, about 26 to 28 °C
Warm all year!
Warm all year: 26.5 to 27.5 °C.
26.5 °C (Jul) to 27.5 °C (Dec, Jan).
-
What covers most of the Solomon Islands?
What still covers nearly 90% of the Solomon Islands?
Universalis says which land cover still takes up nearly 90% of the islands?
- Forest
- Desert sand
- Ice
Show the answer
Forest
Forest!
Forest.
Forest.
-
Since when has Honiara been the capital?
In which year did Honiara become the capital of the Solomon Islands?
In which year did Honiara officially take over from Tulagi as capital?
- 1952
- 1452
- 2012
Show the answer
1952
1952!
1952.
1952.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Honiara on Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific.
- Read census counts and describe how fast a young city grew.
- Explain why a place near the equator stays warm all year.
- Describe how island people use forests, farms and the sea.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a city grow so quickly in a few decades?
- What is it like to live where every month has nearly the same temperature?
- How do people and goods travel between islands?
Try at home or in class
- Growth bars: draw bars for Honiara City in 1986, 1999, 2009 and 2019.
- Island map: draw two lines of islands with an inner sea between them, and mark Guadalcanal and Honiara.
- Temperature line: plot Honiara's twelve monthly averages and see how flat the line is.
Key vocabulary: archipelago, capital, mouth, cyclone, plantation, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Honiara , Encyclopædia Universalis
- Îles Salomon , Encyclopædia Universalis
- Honiara , Larousse encyclopédie
- Solomon Islands: Provinces, Urban Localities & Urban Area , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Solomon Islands National Statistics Office
- Honiara: monthly normals (1991–2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World station normals (search by region and country) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:Honiara (31811066544).jpg (Kahunapule Michael Johnson) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.